Tuesday, November 22, 2005

War on Drugs: Another Side Effect

Once upon a time, bears and cougars were the biggest dangers of hiking in national parks. Now, marijuana cultivation has gotten more prevalent inside our national parks and forests. A hiker is more and more likely to stumble on somebody’s pot plants. The results aren’t pretty.

Mexican drug cartels are often behind these operations. A lot of drug gangs have decided it’s less hassle to just grow their pot in the U.S. than to risk smuggling it over the border. Their operations have become much bolder. They used to be found in only the most remote, secluded areas. Now they’re spreading into some of our most populated national parks.

Booby traps, or armed guards, may be in store for the unlucky hiker.

The Park Service has requested more funding for drug eradication and law enforcement, but money’s tight. (Maybe Halliburton could get a no-bid $30 billion contract to clean up “the drug problem” in our parks.)

One particularly bright Congressman, Steve Pearce (R-NM), suggested that the parks use more of their scarce funds to enforce marijuana laws.

Aside from endangering hikers and rangers, these drug operations are creating fire hazards during dry seasons. They’re endangering wildlife by using pesticides, diverting streams, and illegal hunting and fishing.

So, besides draining trillions of dollars from our budget and ruining the lives of millions of victimless “criminals,” the War on Some Drugs is now threatening our national parks.